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Doon Valley bursts into joyous scenes

Rich tributes were paid in Dehra Dun to those who laid down their lives in the struggle for a separate hill state when the Uttaranchal Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha Tuesday night.

A wave of joy mixed with relief swept the town and celebrations continued well into the night in the Doon Valley.

Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress workers were out on the roads, bursting crackers and raising slogans.

Amid the gaiety, several of those who fought for Uttarakhand lit candles to pay tributes to their associates who did not live to see the day.

A large number of people gathered at the Clock Tower in the heart of the valley to celebrate the day. These included senior BJP leaders Narendra Mittal, Dr Devendra Bhasin, Ravindra Jugran, Dr Aditya Kumar and Sahdev Pundeer.

Congress activists gathered at the Congress Bhavan and then came out in a procession on the Rajpur Road.

Reports from Rishikesh said people came out on the roads at night and lit crackers. They also distributed sweets.

Uttaranchal, which would comprise 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh, will become the 27th state of the Union.

In the national capital, meanwhile, Akalis said they had been "betrayed" by the National Democratic Alliance government on the Udham Singh Nagar issue.

Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary, Balwinder Singh Bhundar, said the Central Government had given assurances that the Akali demand of either excluding the district from the Uttaranchal state or adding more adjoining areas to it would be considered.

He said his party, a partner in the ruling coalition, would take a "political" position on the issue in its Poltical Affairs Committee meeting on Sunday.

UNI

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